The Kenya Pipeline Company through an affidavit in court has shed more light to Ksh17 billion fuel consignment imported to Kenya on November 2023.
This was communicated after businesswoman Anne Njoroge told the court that she was scammed the fuel by cartels in the Kenyan government.
Court documents show that MV Hagui, carrying the consignment, docked at the Port of Mombasa on November 4.
"The 3rd Defendant (KPC) wishes to aver that the grade Diesel EN590 alleged to be the cargo in Motor Vessel “Hagui” by the Claimants is not a grade of fuel accepted in Kenya," the affidavit read in part.
KPC revealed that the consignment was immediately handed over to an Oil Marketing Company which had been contracted to import fuel through the Government to Government deal between Kenya and Gulf countries.
"The 3rd Defendant further wishes to aver that considering that there are no strategic reserves in the country for petroleum products, the AGO KG22/2023 was immediately released to the respective Oil Marketing Companies in accordance with their entitlement for use by the market immediately after discharge," the affidavit read further.
In their defence, KPC stated that the corporation did not have strategic reserves in the country to keep the diesel and additionally, it was within the law to hand over the fuel to OMCs.
KPC further remarked that the fuel onboard MV Hagui did not belong to Anne Njoroge.
Its argument is that the businesswoman's company Import and Export Enterprises Limited claiming ownership of the consignment was not licenced to import fuel on behalf of OMCs.
The corporation further remarked that it did not pay anyone for the fuel sold including the OMC alleged to have received the fuel to distribute to the market.
The lack of a money trail has made it difficult to know who received the Ksh17 billion after the fuel alleged to be substandard was sold.
Anne Njoroge is adamant that she bought the fuel from Russia and it was transported through Azjeirbajan before landing in Kenya on November 4.
